Yes, we are proud of our quality, NASPAA accredited program. NASPAA is the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration.

For a succinct preview of the highlights of the MPA Program at UND please refer to our brochure:

MPA Brochure

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If you are interested in applying to our online program or certificates as a distance student, then you should also take a look at the Continuing Education description, which talks about tuition, fees, etc.: http://www.conted.und.edu/ddp/mpa/index.html

The application procedure, as well as the online application link, is available through the Graduate School: http://www.und.edu/dept/grad/

Let us know if you have any questions as you explore our program and navigate the application process:

E-mail: mpa@business.und.edu
Phone: (701) 777-3831 or (701) 777-2397

Department of Political Science and Public Administration
293 Centennial Drive Stop 8379
University of North Dakota
Grand Forks, ND 58202-8379

For the full calculation of program costs visit: Tuition and Fees

For information of Financial Assistance visit: Financial Assistance

Students can pursue the Health Track, which is geared toward health administration careers. General track students also have the option to pursue a cognate by selecting electives from a specific area, such as social entrepreneurship.

Health concentration requires the following courses:
• POLS 551 Health Administration and Organization- 3 credits

• POLS 552 Health Policy- 3 credits

• ECON 575 Health Economics- 3 credits

• POLS 593 Legal and Ethical Issues in Health Care- 3 credits

Social Entrepreneurship electives: 
• POLS 561 Creation and Management of Social Enterprises- 3 credits

• POLS 562 Political Advocacy and Social Entrepreneurship- 3 credits

• ENTR 580 Seminar in Social Entrepreneurship- 3 credits

• SOC 568 Sociology of Social Entrepreneurship- 3 credits

Yes, we require a GRE or GMAT score; you only need to take the general test. Your other question is more difficult to answer because we don't have cutoffs for admission. We consider all aspects of the application package, of which the GRE score and undergraduate GPA are just portions. We do have a formula we use for initial screening, which weighs in the GRE or GMAT score with the undergraduate GPA. Thus, for example, for someone with a lower GPA we would look for a higher GRE score and for someone with a higher GPA we would be more forgiving with the GRE score. We also consider professional experience, GPA in major and JR/SR years, strength of undergraduate institution and program of study, letters of recommendation, personal statement, etc. If students do not meet the formula threshold, they may still be considered for provisional admission. Here, the core MPA faculty all review the application materials and vote whether to admit the applicant. Stipulations are then set for the students, which are more stringent than the general requirements for MPA students.

We do accept the LSAT or GMAT in place of the GRE, but only if you have taken it within the past five years and plan on applying for the JD/MPA Program

The best option for you may be to apply to our PA certificate program. This option does not require GRE scores or letters (only an undergraduate transcript). If you were admitted as a certificate student, you would be allowed to take the 4 courses, all of which could later be used toward the MPA if you decided to apply to that program, and were admitted. If you did not continue with the MPA, you would still have a graduate certificate in public administration from UND, so you won't have wasted time and money and not earned a credential. Information about this option is here: http://business.und.edu/mpa/publiccert.cfm

Our program has never used the deferred admission option of the Graduate School. With that option, a student is granted deferred admission status pending the GRE scores (or other credential). Unfortunately, with that option, if you are not later accepted, the credits you have taken can't be used, and you have wasted time and money. We don't think this is a fair option for students.

We have 5 competency areas that need to be met by taking at least one undergraduate course: statistics, political science, economics, accounting, and management. When students apply for the program we look at their transcript to see if they have had at least one course in 5 areas. If they have not and are accepted into the program, they are given a period of time to take these courses, but the credits do not count toward the total needed for the MPA degree. Generally, any course from these areas will suffice. If you apply and we note that you are missing one or more you can still be admitted into the program, and we would give you a period of time after starting the program to complete the missing requirement(s) (usually before earning 18 credits in the program). UND may offer some of these online but they can be taken anywhere. You don’t have to take them at UND. If you don’t take them from UND you would need to forward all transcripts to the Graduate School. The only course that is offered by our department is American Government, which would fulfill the political science requirement. There is also the option that you prepare individually for a “challenge exam” in the area. If you pass the exam then you don’t have to take the course.

Our courses are offered on-line but they are similar to a traditional class and are "real-time". That is, each course meets 7-10 p.m. CST, once per week M-TH. There is a local classroom with students in it and external on-line students sign in at the same time and participate as if they were there in person. Our objective is to make the online experience mirror the traditional in-class experience, as much as possible. Many MPA programs that are online offer packaged or correspondence-based courses, so you will want to explore this distinction.  

Online students need a camera, high-speed connection, and a headset to take our courses. Technology support is provided through the Division of Continuing Education.

We handle the financial assistance decisions here in the department. We have 3 quarter-time graduate assistant positions, which are generally two-year commitments, therefore they open at unpredictable times. Other assistantships may also be available across campus. Sometimes the competition is high, and sometimes it is low, with few applicants. We also have a limited number of tuition waivers, which applicants or existing students can also apply for.

The decisions will be made in April for Fall graduate assistantships, based on the letter, resume, and other materials we already have on file (e.g., GRE scores, undergraduate GPA, etc.). The decisions about tuition waivers – separate from assistantships – will be made in July and December, prior to the related semester.

Assistantships
Qualified students may receive financial support in the form of a Graduate Assistantship (GA) or Board of Higher Education Scholarship. Graduate Assistantship stipends for two semesters are about $13,012 for half-time appointments and $6,506 for quarter-time appointments. GA appointments include a tuition waiver and health insurance.

How to Apply for Assistantships or Tuition Waivers
To apply for an assistantship all you need to do is check the box on the application indicating that you are interested and email the MPA Graduate Director a letter of interest and a current resume. Applicants or students can apply for tuition waivers with the same letter and resume.

Assistantship Responsibilities
Graduate Teaching Assistants assist professors with grading, proctoring examinations, research and occasionally they deliver classroom lectures. GTA positions offer graduate students unique hands-on opportunities to gain work-related experience.

MPA students are required to complete an internship unless they have at least one year of professional experience. This generally means that people who have worked in a professional administrative capacity for at least one year would not need an internship. Many times, even if a student is eligible for a waiver, he/she will take an internship simply to get the professional experiences, network, etc. Internships often turn into jobs. We don’t have any requirements about where the internship would be; placements are handled on a case-by-case basis. There is a process in place to request that the internship be waived. If a waiver is granted, an elective MPA course must be substituted to reach the required 35 credits.

Credit transfer is based on both program approval and Graduate School approval. After being admitted, a student can ask the Program Director to consider a course transfer. If the course is similar to one of our own in the program, or applicable as a PA elective or cognate, it may be approved, and the student then could put it on his or her Program of Study. The Program of Study is then forwarded to the Graduate School Dean for approval. Below are the stipulations that are used by the Graduate School in deciding on credit transfers:

TRANSFER OF GRADUATE CREDITS  

A limited amount of graduate work completed at a regionally accredited North American institution prior to, or after matriculation in the Graduate School at UND, may be applied toward a graduate degree at the University of North Dakota. Graduate work is considered for transfer only on an individual basis and only after the student has completed satisfactory work in residence at UND. Those transfer credits approved by the student’s advisory committee and the Dean of the Graduate School are included in the program of study for the UND graduate degree and only those transfer credits will be recorded on the UND transcript.

The basic purpose of the transfer policies is to ensure that transferred work is of comparable content, level, timeliness, and quality to that which would be taken at UND and included on the program of study for the degree. The following policies are generally applicable to the acceptance of the graduate work for transfer to UND:

• The work must have been taken at an accredited North American institution.

• The student must have been enrolled as a Graduate Student.

• The work must have received graduate credit at the institution where it was earned.

• The student must have earned a grade of B or better.

• The work must be less than seven years old at the time the UND degree is awarded with the exception of work that was part of a completed prerequisite degree.

• The amount of transfer credit that will be accepted toward the master’s degree is one-fourth (usually eight semester credits) of the credit hours required for the degree.

• The work credited toward a completed master’s degree may be accepted for a specialist’s diploma or doctoral degree.

• Work beyond the master’s degree must be post-master’s level and from an institution that offers post-master’s degrees in the discipline.

• Work beyond the master’s degree from an institution offering only master’s level work in the discipline may be applied to the minor or cognate areas.

• For the Ph.D., only 30 credits may be transferred beyond the credits allowed for the master’s degree, i.e., a total of 60 credits.

• For the Specialist Diploma, only 15 credit hours will be transferred beyond the credits allowed for the master’s degree, i.e., a total of 45 credit hours.